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PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
MATERNITY AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES
There are fourteen Maternity and Child Health Centres in the Borough,
some in purpose-built or adapted accommodation and others in rented premises.
The new purpose built Streatham Common Maternity and Child Health Centre
was officially opened on 28th May, 1970. Because of the difficulty in persuading
mothers living in Ferndale Court, Ferndale Road, S.W.9, to bring their children to
the Rose McAndrew Centre arrangements were made for the provision of a branch
clinic in a ground floor flat at Ferndale Court, rented from the Housing Department.
Sessions provided at the clinic include child health, vaccination and immunisation,
cervical cytology and family planning. The clinic opened in February, 1970.
Mothers attend at child health centres with infants from the age of two
weeks for the purpose of getting advice from health visitors and clinic doctors
about mothercraft and care of their children and for routine developmental
examinations by clinic medical officers. Mothers may attend as often as they wish
but are invited to attend for routine developmental examinations, at three monthly
intervals for the first year. Thereafter, they should attend at six monthly intervals
until the child's second birthday, after which they should attend at least once
yearly for medical examination. As required, children are referred for further
developmental examinations to the Borough's Developmental Clinics held at
selected child health centres where they are seen by specialists in developmental
paediatrics, who refer them to assessment centres, if necessary, or continue to
keep them under supervision.
Other services available for children at the centres include routine prophylaxis
against smallpox, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles,
as well as creche facilities.
For mothers ante-natal and post-natal, cervical cytology and family planning
clinics and health education are provided. At two centres evening child health
clinics are provided for working mothers. Health visitors working from the centres
visit mothers and children under five in their homes, as well as other members of
the family, and including old people whether as part of a family unit or living
alone.
Mothers and families know the health centres as a focal point where they
can contact the health visitor and visit at intervals for consultation with the clinic
medical officers.
Priority Dental Treatment
Dental treatment is provided for expectant and nursing mothers and
children under five years; attendances were 32 and 516 respectively. The service